8 Best WiFi Routers and 7 Best WiFi Adapters – Holidays 2016

How good of a router do you need?

Basically, the more devices that you have, the higher transfer rates that you want on your internal network, if you stream video (especially 4K!), the better your router needs to be to keep up.

Do you want high transfer rates on your wireless network?(not to be confused with your Internet speed, this depends on your ISP mostly) ?
If you want to transfer files wirelessly between different devices or if you want to stream video wirelessly from one computer to another, make sure to choose a router that is fast enough for your needs.

For a few people and a few devices in a location with no or few other wireless networks and just want to browse the Internet, an entry-level or mid-range router is fine.

802.11n, 802.11ac and 802.11ad, Range and speed: 2.4GHz vs 5GHz vs 60GHz
– 2.4GHz (802.11n) offers a longer range (longer waves), at the cost of lower throughput (Connection speed, in Mbps) than 5GHz (802.11ac) and 60GHz (802.11ad)
– The 5GHz band offers a shorter range, but higher throughput, with less risk of interference.
– The 60GHz band cannot penetrate walls, but offers even higher throughput, with no interference.

2.4GHz (802.11n) is also more subject to interference from other devices such as other routers, Bluetooth, cordless phones and microwave ovens, which will reduce both throughput and range. This is especially problematic in urban environments, with many routers within range of each other.

Dual-band routers: Support for 2.4GHz (802.11n) and 5GHz (802.11ac) spectrums
Tri-band routers: Support for 2.4GHz (802.11n), 5GHz (802.11ac) and 60GHz (802.11ad) spectrums
Dual-band routers are the ideal solution if you want both a high-performance 5GHz network and a longer range 2.4GHz network. This means that the router can transmit, to different devices, on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum, simultaneously. This does not mean that it can communicate with a single device on both bands at the same time.

Basically, you’ll have two networks, with two SSIDs: One that operates on the 2.4GHz band and the other on the 5GHz band.

That way, if you have devices that don’t support the 802.11ac 5GHz standard, they can still access the router through the 2.4GHz network (in 802.11n or 802.11g mode), without slowing down your other devices on the 802.11ac connection.

Tri-band routers work the same way, but with an additional 60GHz band (802.11ad).

The Best WiFi routers:

This article recommendations are based on the prices that I’ve seen on November 5th 2016.

The TRENDnet TEW-809UB is bigger, less convenient to move, slightly more expensive, but offers four 5 dBi gain antennas that you can move to optimize signal reception.

Ideal if your router is far and you need the best adapter possible to get a strong signal.

Four reasons why I only recommend USB adapters:

Easy to install

Compatible with most computers, not only large desktop computers.

You can easily swap it to another computer.

If you use it with a desktop computer, you do not need to worry about having a free expansion slot on your motherboard, now or in the future if you decide to change your motherboard at some point in time.

Recommended Bluetooth USB adapter:

Get the Plugable USB Bluetooth 4.0

Simple, inexpensive and reliable: That’s what you want in a Bluetooth and that’s what you get here.

Compatible with Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, as well as Linux.

Note that if you also plan on using WiFi as well as Bluetooth, most definitely go with a 802.11ac router and adapter, as they run on the 5GHz spectrum, to avoid interference from Bluetooth, which operates on the 2.4GHz spectrum.

Need help picking the right WiFi router and/or adapter?

Read this article, but can’t figure out what’s best for your needs?
Leave a comment below, with as much details as possible about what are your needs and what you’re trying to do and I’ll get back to you.

About The Author

HR Founder - Computer expert with over 16 years of experience in building, fixing and modifying PCs.
Over the years, I’ve developed a passion for PC hardware and now I enjoy helping others build their own PCs!
In April 2008, I launched Hardware Revolution and ... Read more at my about page

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